Road grader



y 1931. R. E. ADAMS 1,806,568

ROAD GRADER Filed 1926 '2 Sheets-Sheet l- 4 I L M m a: M A, Z W M Po Y 5 flan/9.5

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May 1931- R. E. ADAMS 1,806,568

ROAD GRADER Filed Dec. 31, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 9 Ja ad:

Patented May 19,1931

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROY E. ADAMS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO J. D. ADAMS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORA- TION OF INDIANA ROAD GRADER Application filed December 31, 1926. Serial No. 158,307.

motion, and which can be constructed with out necessity for expensive methods of manufacture involving extreme accuracy.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to the mounting of a road-grader mold board adapted tobe attached to the semicircle of the road grader. In accordance with my in vention the mold board is pivotally attached to the semicircle through universal joints, preferably of the ball-and-socket type, and a link is provided for holding the mold board in various positions of angular adjustment about the axis of the ball-and-socket joints. The link is also mounted through ball-andsocket joints which permit tight clamping Without the necessity for close alinement.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a road grader to which my invention is shown as applied; Fig. 2 is a generally horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 5 through one of the links by means of which the mold board is adjusted; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 5 through the axis of pivotal mounting of the mold board; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a washer which cooperates with the link to hold it in various positions of adjustment; Fig. 5 is a vertical seca main frame 10 is supported through front wheels 11 and rear wheels 12. A draw bar 13 is supported from the main frame through suitable adjusting mechanism including lift means of a pivot pin or bolt.

arms 14 by means of which the draw bar may be raised or lowered. Pivotally mounted on a vertical axis on the draw bar 13 is a semicircle 15 having downwardly extending legs 16 to a the lower ends of which a mold board 17 is attached. The details of construction of the road grader form no part of my invention and may be anything desired.

The customary method of attaching the mold board to the legs of the semicircle or to the equivalent parts has been to provide the mold board with a bracket adjacent each semicircle leg and to connect each of such brackets with its associated semicircle leg by In order to avoid the necessity for excessive accuracy in the construction of such a mold board mounting and at the same time to provide a mounting which will not bind, the pivot pins are made slightly smallerin diameter than the holes through which they pass. This is satis factory in eliminating binding but is objectionable in that it introduces lost motion between the parts and produces undesirable rattling and vibration which in time cause excessive wear.

To overcome these objectionable features and at the same time to eliminate the possibilities of binding and to permit ready adjustment of the mold board, I secure the lower ends of the semicircle legs to the mold board through a universal connection. To this end, at points adjacent the lower ends of the semicircle legs I secure to the mold board 17, or to a reinforcing member 18 thereon, brackets 20. Each of these brackets is provided in a lateral face with a hemispherical depression adapted to receive the complementarily shaped flange 21 of a bushing 22 which may extend into a hole in the lower end of the semicircle leg 16. A bolt 23 passing through the bracket 20, the bushing 22, and the lower end of the semicircle leg approximately on the axis of the spherical depression of the bracket 20 serves to secure the mold board to the semicircle. The holes in the bracket 20 and in the bushing 22 through which the bolt 23 passes are desirably somewhat larger'than the bolt in order that the bolt will not bind in such holes.

This method of attaching the mold board to the semi-circle permits the mold board to be mounted so that it is freely adjustable without any lost motion. The bolts 23 may be tightened to bring the mating spherical surfaces of the bracket and flange 21 of the bushing 22 into firm en agement with each other without the procIuction of any binding effect, for the bolts 23 are smaller than the holes through which they pass. Since the bolts need not be in exact alinement, the necessity for extreme accuracy is eliminated.

To hold the mold board in various positionsof angular adjustment about the axis of its pivotal attachment to the semicircle,

I provide the mold board adjacent each semicircle leg with a link 25 which is pivotally attached to the mold board near the upper edge thereof and which may be secured in various positions to the semicircle leg. To avoid any binding and still to secure themold board firmly in its various ositions of adjustment, I prefer to mount t e links as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5.

In the construction illustrated, each link 25 is attached to the mold board 17 through the medium of a bracket 26 secured to the mold board. One end of each of the links 25 is provided with a hemispherical depression adapted to receive a correspondingly shaped boss 28 on the bracket 26. A bolt 29, passing through the boss 28, the end of the link 25, and preferably through a washer 30, serves to secure the link 25 to the bracket 26. The inner surface of the washer 30 is desirably spherical to conform to the engaging surface of the end of the link 25. The hole in the link 25 through which the bolt 29 passes is materially larger than the bolt in order to permit a certain universality of movement of the link relative to the mold board.

Secured to each of the legs 16 of the semicircle 15 is a bracket 35 having a stud or bolt 36 which projects outward throu h a longitudinal slot 37 in the link 25 and 1s provided beyond the link with a nut 38. Located between the link 25 and the adjacent face of the bracket 35 I rovide a washer 40 the construction of which is clearly indicated in Fig. 4. The washer 40 fits the stud closely so as to have no lost motion but may pivot thereon to follow the link 25 the angular posit1on of which varies as it is adjusted. In the plane of the slot 37, the washer 40 is provided with two outwardly extending fingers 41 which enter the slot 37 and have a width substantially equal to that of such slot, thus serving to hold the link and washer in definite angular relationship. In a plane at right angles to that of thefingers 41, the washer 40 is provided with two outwardly projecting bosses 42, the exterior surfaces of WhICh are conveniently cylindrical and are adapted to enter into one pair of'a series of notches 43 provided on the inner face of the link 25. The fingers 41 preferably project outwardly beyond the bosses '42 in order that .they will remain in the slot 37 when the nut 38 is loos- T1113? suflicientlyto permit adjustment of the The construction described makes it possible to secure the mold board firmly to its support without any lost motion and conseq uent rattling and vibration. At the same t1me it is not necessary to secure precise alinement of the various connections, since the spherical shape of the mating surfaces makes exact alinement unnecessary.

If desired the mold board 17 may be provided with two sets of brackets 20, as shown in Fig. 7, thus making possible an adjustment of the mold board longitudinally of itself. The reconnecting of the mold board and semicircle after such adjustment is facilitated by the ball-and-socket construction.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a road grader, the combination of a mold board,.a supporting member therefor, means for pivotally attaching said mold board to said supporting member on a single axis fixed relatively to said supporting member, said means including mating parts having spherical engaging surfaces, an adjusting link pivotally connected to said mold board through a universal connection, and means for holding said link in various positions of adjustment relative to said supporting member to vary the inclination of said mold board.

2. In a road grader, the combination of a mold board, a sup orting member therefor,

connection including a ball-member on one of the parts which said connection connects, a socket on the other of such parts, said socket having an exterior spherical surface, a concave washer engaging such surface, and a bolt passing through said ball, socket, and washer for holding them together. a

3. In a road grader, the combination of a mold board, a supporting member therefor, means for pivotally attaching said mold board to said supporting member, an adjusting link pivotally connected to said mold board, and means for holding said link in various positions of adjustment relative to said supporting member to vary the inclination of said mold board, said means including a washer rotatably mounted on said supporting member, said washer being provided with means engaging said link for holding said Bill aeoaeee washer and link in definite angular relationship, said link being provided with a series of transverse notches, a boss on said washer adapted to enter any of said notches, and means for holding said Washer and link in engagement with said boss in one of said notches.

4:. In a road grader, the combination of a mold board, a supporting member therefor, means for pivotally attaching said mold board to said supporting member on a single axis fixed relatively to said supporting member, and adjusting link, means for pivotally connecting said link to said mold board, said means including a ball member secured to said mold board, a cooperating socket rigid with said link, said socket having a convex spherical surface, a concave washer engaging such spherical surface, and a bolt assing through the ball member, socket, and Washer to hold them together, and means for holding said link in Various positions of adjustment relative to said supporting member to vary the inclination of said mold board.

5. In a road grader, the combination of a mold board, a rigid supporting member therefor, said supporting member being angularly adjustable about a vertical axis, means for pivotally attaching said mold board to said supporting member at horizontally spaced points and on a single axis fixed relatively to said su porting ,member, each of said means inclu ing mating parts having spherical engaging surfaces, an adjusting link pivotally connected to said mold board, and means for holding said link in Various positions of adjustment relative to said supporting member to vary the inclination of said mold board.

6. In a road grader, the combination of a mold board, a rigid supporting member therefor, said supporting member being an- 'gularly adjustable about a vertical axis,

means for pivotally attaching said mold board to said supporting member at horizontally spaced points, each of said means including mating parts having spherical engaglng surfaces, and means for holding said mold board at various inclinations.

7. In a road grader, the combination of a mold board, a support therefor including two spaced downwardly projecting legs, sald legs being provided with alined holes near their lower ends, a ball member carried by each of said legs and having a projection adapted to enter the associated hole, sockets carried by said mold board in positions to receive said ball members respectlvely, a bolt passing through eachof said legs and the adjacent ball member and socket, and means for holding said mold board at various inclinations. c

8. In a road grader, the combination of a mold board, a rigid supporting member therepassing through such parts, said bolt having a limited freedom of movement transversely of itself in one of saidmating members In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 29th day of December, A. I). one thousand nine hundred and twenty six. 7

ROY E. AMS. 

